The Contemporary Art Society • The Contemporary Art Society, Tate Gallery, Millbank SWI Patron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Executive Committee Raymond Mortimer (Chairman) Peter Meyer (Hon. Treasurer) Loraine Conran (Hon. Secretary) Sir Colin Anderson Sir Philip Hendy W. A. Evill E. C. Gregory Eardley Knollys Howard Bliss Mrs. Cazalet-Keir Sir John Rothenstein, C.B.E. Eric Newton Mrs. Oliver Parker A. B. Lousada Dr. Alastair Hunter Organising Secretary Pauline Vogelpoel Chairman's Report The cheerful report on the year 1956 that I am privileged to offer you is defaced by one black spot: Mr. Denis Mathews, who had been our Assistant Secretary for ten years, resigned in the Spring. He wished to give all his time to painting, and as I greatly admire his gift I must applaud as well as regret his decision. By his enthusiasm, enterprise, tact and imagination as well as by his patient industry he did far more than anybody else to revive this Society, and on your behalf I wish to express the deepest gratitude. The Committee elected in his place as Organising Secretary, Miss Pauline Vogelpoel, who had been working as his assistant: her abilities have already proved even greater than we had hoped. She is now receiving some valuable help from Mrs. Meninsky. The Exhibition of paintings and sculpture depicting "The Seasons", which had been organised by the Society, was housed in the Tate by the generous permission of the Director and Trustees. Forty-four painters and thirteen sculptors accepted our invitation. Their works attracted nearly thirteen thousand visitors. The Sub-Committee appointed for the purpose, purchased for the Society paintings by Josef Herman, Patrick Heron, Derek Hill, Mary Kessell and William Scott, and bronzes by Reg Butler, F. E. McWilliam and Bernard Meadows. We gave grants to the Tate Gallery and eight provincial museums towards their purchase of paintings by John Armstrong, Michael Ayrton, Robert MacBryde, Bateson Mason, Mary Potter, Ceri Richards, Adrian Ryan, Jack Smith, Ruskin Spear, William Townsend and Corel Weight. We even helped the Arts Council to acquire a bronze by Lynn Chadwick and paintings by Keith Vaughan and Victor Willing. Absurd, you may think, that a small Society with limited resources should use these to bolster the Arts Council which is enormously richer. Personally I feel that the Arts Council should have blushed to invite our help. We gave it as ungrudgingly as possible, and I should like to hope (but cannot) that the Council may be shamed by our generosity into allotting a much larger fund for the purchase of works of art. Apart from this exhibition we presented ninety works to seventy-two museums in the United Kingdom, and twenty-three others to fourteen in the Commonwealth. These included works not previously distributed remember that 1955 was a year in which we did not mount an from the Edward Marsh bequest. We held three exhibitions in exhibition of our own, and since the date of the balance sheet we have the provinces of works belonging to the Society, and lent works to been able to use the 1955 profit in making purchases from the twelve other exhibitions as well as to three hospitals and three "Seasons" exhibition. educational institutions. In 1955 as in the previous year we spent about £3,000, divided The purchaser for the year, Mr, Loraine Conran, bought for us almost equally between pictures and running expenses. We bought pictures by Peter Coker, Alan Davie, Merlyn Evans, Frederick Gore, twenty-three pictures for £1,384 and also made a grant of £200 to Anthony Gross, William Halle, Peter Kinley, Denis Wirth-Miller, the Tate Gallery to help them to purchase two important paintings by Russeii Piatt, Adrian Ryan, Jack Smith, Keith Vaughan and Michael Ben Nicholson. Our running expenses came to £1,593, and in these Wishart. days of ever mounting costs, the Secretary is to be congratulated on I wish to express the deep gratitude of the Society to Mrs. Cazalet- keeping them at this modest level. Keir, who was for many years a valued member of our Committee: Moreover, we obtained from various provincial galleries a considerable she has presented to us a painting by Ceri Richards. We are most refund of expenses incurred in connection with the exhibition of grateful also to Mr. Robin Howard, who has lent us a splendid group "Figures in Their Setting" in 1954 and it is this which is largely of five bronzes by Rodin. responsible for the surplus on the year. We held two parties at the Tate Gallery, one for "The Seasons" With regard to our income, we made a profit of over £150 on parties, Exhibition, one for the Braque Exhibition (and this was the largest notably those in the Tate Gallery for the exhibitions of Gauguin and party we have ever had, a great initial success for our new Organising Ben Nicholson: and the persuasive powers of our new Organizing Secretary). We were privileged to visit five private collections, by Secretary have been responsible for the collection of arrears of sub­ the kindness of Lord and Lady Radcliffe, Sir Colin and Lady Anderson, scriptions from a number of members and subscribing galleries, Mr. John Fremantle, Mr. and Mrs. Hart, and Sir Kenneth and Lady which accounts for the increase over last year's figure. Clark. We all enjoy these treats, I think, more than any others, and It is this which leads me to remind members that they would save I wish only that there could be more of them. Then there were two trouble for themselves and incalculably more time, trouble and parties generously given for us, by the Marlborough Gallery for the expense for us if they would sign a Banker's Order so that their Fontanarosa exhibition, and by the Zwemmer Gallery for the Francis subscriptions could be paid regularly and promptly. They would also Bott exhibition. benefit the Society at no cost to themselves if they would enter into a Deed of Covenant. I understand that some of our members fight shy This year has brought 335 new members, as compared with 150 in of these forms, which we produce so regularly, because they feel 1955. Once again I appeal to each one of you to find at least one they are part of the incomprehensible mysteries of high finance. new member. It is only by enlarging our membership that we can However, we are including them once again in the Annual Report increase the proportion of our income that goes to the purchase of together with a simple explanation of what they mean and why we works of art. want them. I would ask all members who have not already done so Finally, there are changes in the committee of the Society, Mr. to fill them both in and return them to us as quickly as they possibly can. Edward le Bas, after helping us a great deal as a purchaser and member of sub-committees, has resigned, but not, I hasten to say, from any difference about policy. We were pleased to welcome Purchases I9S6 three new members to the Committee: Mrs. Oliver Parker, Dr. Alastair Hunter, and Mr. Anthony Lousada. And I have resigned the Buyer: G. L. Conran Chairmanship, to which Sir Colin Anderson has been elected. He Peter Coker Landscape, Barbizon served the Society as Treasurer for many years, and it is most Alan Davie In the Face of the Witch fortunate that so busy, experienced, sagacious and enthusiastic a Merlyn Evans Window by Night figure should have been prepared to assume this new responsibility. Frederick Gore Olive Trees at AI pi I les My reason for resigning is simple. Everything I know about the William Halle Landscape Kent history of taste convinces me that nobody is a good judge of the art Peter Kinley The Grey Tower 1954 produced by persons younger than himself by thirty years or more. D. Wirth-Miller Landscape 1956 A Society that exists to encourage contemporary art should therefore, Russell Piatt Interior I am convinced, be managed by persons under sixty: and the Com­ Adrian Ryan Goat's Meat mittee has passed a motion which I proposed that henceforward no Jack Smith The Pink Shirt chairman should remain in office for more than five years. (The new Keith Vaughan Woodman in a Clearing chairman, I may say, was a strong supporter of this motion). Never­ Michael Wishart Lac d'Annecy theless I have gratefully agreed to the kind invitation of the Committee to remain one of its members. This is illogical, but my Anthony Gross The "Le Boulve' Suite" (set of eight etchings) interest in the work of the Society has proved stronger than my attachment to logic. Purchases from "The Seasons" Exhibition The Exhibition Sub-Committee purchased the following works The Treasurer's Report from the Society's exhibition at the Tate Gallery: I think I should start this, my first report as Honorary Treasurer, Paintings by explaining that although the Chairman deals with our activities Josef Herman Autumn Idyll during 1956, the accounts which I am presenting, and on which I have Patrick Heron Winter Harbour to comment, cover 1955. That is why I can take no credit for the Derek Hill The Season of Thaw fact that they show the very satisfactory profit of £482.6.8. Some of Mary Kessell Winter Wood you may think that it is not our business to make a profit, but you will William Scott Winter Still Life Sculpture Peter Dunbar, Paul Feiler, D. Hamilton-Fraser, Reg. Butler Torso (Summer) Bronze Duncan Grant, Lawrence Gowing, Ivon Hitchens, Peter Kinley, F.